COVID-19 has dismantled the very concept of the third place; the social environments which offer crucial spaces of connection and respite between our home lives and our work lives. With the pandemic squishing those latter two spheres into one, while ruling out the prospects of even attending most of our third places altogether, we’ve turned to other forms of interaction to receive that much needed escape from the new normal. For many, that escape has been video games; it’s been the new playground for children unable to attend school, the virtual pub for friends who can no longer grab a drink together, and another arena in which to argue with siblings over tense death matches. We don’t just play games to entertain ourselves, we use games as a platform to connect with others, and that’s never been more crucial than over the last 12 months. “When we surveyed nearly 3,000 teens in our community last year, 62% said that conversations with their real-life friends were among their top activities when they got together on Roblox,” says Roblox Corp’s director of community safety and digital civility, Laura Higgins. “Roblox has played an essential role in helping millions of people feel part…